Chapter 31: Toward a Transnational America

AP United States HistoryWest Blocton High School

Mr. Logan Greene

Chapter Objectives• How did the Presidency of George H.W. Bush

define the end of the conservative ascendency?• How did Bill Clinton dominate the politics of the

“center?”• What impact did information technologies have

on the economy of the 1990s?• How did the make up of the American

population change in the 1990s?• What were the policies of George W. Bush

during his early presidency?• How did 9/11 affect American views on security

and affairs?

George H.W. Bush• Reagan’s VP, George H.W. Bush

succeeded him by winning the 1988 election comfortably over Democrat Michael Dukakis

• Bush immediately distanced himself from Reagan by promising a kinder gentler America

• Bush assumed office with little agenda and democratically controlled Congress

Persian Gulf War• Bush’s Presidency became defined by the

Persian Gulf War• In August 1990 the Middle Eastern country of

Iraq invaded its small oil rich neighbor Kuwait• By January 1991 Congress passed a resolution

to use military force to control the Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, this led to Operation Desert Storm

• The Persian Gulf War lasted a scant 100 hours as Hussein was forced out of Kuwait

• However, Hussein was not forced out of power

Reaction to Persian Gulf War• 100,000 Iraqis died compared to 124

Americans• American occupation of Islamic cities in

Saudi Arabia intensified Muslim distrust and anger towards Americans

• This anger included a young Saudi millionaire: Osama Bin Laden

• The ecological damage to the Persian Gulf area was intense and long lasting

The Economy and Election of 1992

• Publically, the Persian Gulf War skyrocked Bush’s popularity and approval ratings

• However, Bush would soon be haunted by the ghosts of Reagan’s economic policies

• As a serious recession hit in early 1992 Bush had zero response as he had promised to not raise taxes but had been forced too

• The new Democratic candidate Bill Clinton defeated Bush in the 1992 election by focusing on a logical response to the economy and a centrist agenda

The New Democrat: Clinton• Bill Clinton represented a new type of

politician not seen since the days of Dwight Eisenhower: a centrist

• Clinton, although a Democrat, believed in creating a cohesive coherent agenda that the middle class of America could believe in

In the White House• Clinton built on momentum from Reagan and

Bush to expand US markets by passing two landmark trade agreements– NAFTA: The North American Free Trade

Agreement that eliminated tariffs between Mexico, the US, and Candad

–WTO: Established the World Trade Organization to mediate commercial disputes among 117 nations

• Many critics worried about the damage to the US industry base but the agreements drastically improved trade

In the White House• Clinton’s major setback during his first

term was a failure to pass sweeping health care reform

• In 1994 with a Republican sweep of the House and Senate the stage was set as Clinton faced off against Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich

• However, Clinton was able to take many Republican ideals and adapt them to continue his momentum

1996 Election• Clinton headed into the 1996 election

with a good deal of momentum• Clinton easily defeated the Republican

candidate Bob Dole who was struggling with the Republican parties internal power struggle between pro business Republicans and religious conservatives

• Clinton promised to continue to reduce the government and the debt, but in a logical safe way

Clinton Internationally• Clinton struggled with international issues• Bosnia: The continued human rights issues in

the former Communist country compelled Clinton to act as thousands of people were dying due to ethnic cleansing. Sadly American troops were dragged into a long and costly conflict

• Kosovo: Clinton used American forces, again with NATO allies, to control a violent uprising in Serbia

Economics• Clinton bore witness to one of the

greatest economic booms in American history

• Oil production skyrocketed lowering prices, 20 million jobs were created, the unemployment rate stayed below 4%

• The stock market grew due to new tech stocks

• The only major downside to the growing economy was the gluttonous salaries of CEO’s and other leaders

Silicon Valley and the Internet• The new capital and center of the 90s

economy was Silicon Valley California• Silicon Valley was the home to new tech

giants profiting from a new invention: the internet

The Electronic Culture• The tech developments of the 90s led

Americans to become an electronic culture

• Most Americans enjoyed cable television and demanded instant communication

• The new internet led to a complete change in the way information was disseminated and gathered

The Racial Divide• Spring of 1992 saw major riots in Los

Angeles following the beating of an African American man by LAPD

• Over 50 people were killed as it became apparent there was a serious racial divide in America

• Segregation was on the rise in America as African Americans and white separated

FEAR• During the 1990s terrorism rose and

Americans began living in constant fear of attack

• Attacks on Oklahoma City, the first attack on the World Trade Center in 1993, the Waco debacle in 1995, and abortion clinic bombings across the nation disturbed the American public about their safety at home

Culture Wars• As American society grew more diverse a

culture war broke out• A conservative backlash against

multiculturalism and the advancement of professional women occurred as these items became a new center of attack now that communism was dead

• As well, homosexual rights and stem cell research became hotly contested issues

Clinton’s Misdoings• Whitewater involved a real estate deal gone

bad that the Clintons had invested in• Despite major investigations no evidence was

found of fraudulent behavior by the President or First Lady

• Clinton was caught up in a scandal involving an affair with a white house intern, Monica Lewinsky

• Although impeached, Clinton was not removed from office and kept most of his momentum to finish his term

Globalization• As the new millennium approached and

came the idea of globalization• Globalization was the idea of the

economies of the world working together to interact and improve overall stability

• This depended on work from the WTO and the IMF or International Monetary Fund

• However, the idea of a single international market was not well received

2000 Election• The 2000 Election pitted Democrat Al

Gore (Clinton’s VP) vs. Republican George W. Bush

• Bush won a highly contentious election in which he lost the popular vote to Gore and the Florida vote was stepped in controversy

• Bush promised to bring back the ideals of Conservative Americans and move the country back to the ideals of pure capitalism and Reagan

The War On Terror• Bush II’s presidency became completely

dominated by the War on Terror• On September 11, 2001 two planes

hijacked by Islamic terrorists flew into the World Trade Center while another hit the Pentagon and a fourth crashed in Pennsylvania

• President Bush immediately called for a War on Terror and to hunt down the persons responsible

New US Foreign Policy• A new style of US foreign policy emerged

as America was sworn to hunt down terrorist sects

• This led to invasions in Afghanistan and Iraq as well as US involvement in numerous other areas in attempt to improve US security

Chapter Objectives• How did the Presidency of George H.W. Bush

define the end of the conservative ascendency?• How did Bill Clinton dominate the politics of the

“center?”• What impact did information technologies have

on the economy of the 1990s?• How did the make up of the American

population change in the 1990s?• What were the policies of George W. Bush

during his early presidency?• How did 9/11 affect American views on security

and affairs?